Monday, November 16, 2015

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

in French, for today we all have become French, those of us fom the rational world who abhor terroris and unnecessary violence.

Those of us who have learned from history know that "violence begets violence," as Dr. Martin Luther King said in paraphrasing the Bible. Thus, we can trace a direct chain of violence: from the United States supportsing Ossama Bin Laden with arms and weapons to fight Russian occupation of Afghanistan, Bin Laden turning against Western influence and bringing the World Trade Center Towers down, then a US invasion of Iraq that led to destabilization of most of the middle east, with Syria in a shambles, Libya a lawless land, and now more insurgents proclaiming a Caliphate ruled by their interpretation of Islam, which tends towards more medieval values.

You may take me for a pacifist yet I am not.

Nevertheless, support for war must rationally consider objectives and whether military might alone can achieve them. Even if western forces, whether with or without American "boots on the ground" these ideological savages can still crawl back in the woodwork like hte roaches they proved themselves as.

It seems clear, however, Western troops should develop a coalition of troops to fight ISIS, certainly from mostly Arab states. Just get the Kurds fighting with Sunni tribesmen in Iraq who participated in our fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq, and to get Shia Iraqi militias involved also--yes, those troops who threw down their weapons and ran from Isis forces.

The Shia must understand ISIS considers them apostates marked for extermination. That ought to make them willing to fight to protect their families.

[French President Francois Hollande called on the United States and Russia to join a global coalition to destroy Islamic State in the wake of the attacks across Paris, and announced a wave of measures to combat terror in France.

"France is at war," Hollande told a joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles, promising to increase funds for national security and strengthen anti-terror laws in response to the suicide bombings and shootings that killed 129.